Timberwolves Provide Blueprint for Potential OKC Thunder Matchup with Spurs

The Conference Semifinals of the NBA Playoffs are underway.

After the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 to start the Western Conference Semifinals, each of the remaining four series are through Game 1. In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks cruised past the Atlanta Hawks and the Detroit Pistons held on to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Alongside OKC's 1-0 lead in the West, the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off a major upset against the San Antonio Spurs on the road to take an early lead in the series. Despite superstar Anthony Edwards being limited as he recovered from an injury sustained in the Wolves' series against Denver, Minnesota had just enough to take down Victor Wembanyama and company.

In addition to Edwards limitations, Chris Finch's team was without Donte DiVincenzo, who is out for the remainder of the postseason with a torn achilles, and Ayo Dosunmu, who notched a 45-point performance in the opening round of the playoffs.

Even without two of its key rotation players, Minnesota was able to overcome a strong Spurs' squad in San Antonio, giving Mitch Johnson's team just its second loss of the postseason. The Spurs dropped a game to the Portland Trail Blazers, but Wembanyama wasn't able to close that contest after suffering a concussion.

The Defensive Player of the Year played 40 minutes in Game 1 against the Timberwolves, and notched 11 points, 15 rebounds and a whopping 12 blocks to go along with 5 assists. Despite an impressive defensive performance, Finch and company laid out a solid blueprint to defeat the Spurs.

Minnesota attacked San Antonio's superstar, which allowed him to rack up remarkable block numbers, but also led to the Timberwolves getting a few points at the rim later in the contest.

"He's going to have to block it every time, I'm not going to stop going downhill," Minnesota wing Terrence Shannon Jr. said after the game.

“He gonna have to block it every time, I ain’t gonna stop going downhill. I told him that when he said a little something…

He gonna have to block it every time, man. I know he ain’t gonna block it every single time. I’m gonna dunk on him”

- TJ Shannon on Victor Wembanyama pic.twitter.com/LUxYgEADCw
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 5, 2026

Wolves' standout Jaden McDaniels shared a similar sentiment.

"You just got to act like he's not there," McDaniels said. I mean, he's going to get blocks. He's the tallest person in the world."

Asked Jaden McDaniels what they learned about attacking the rim when Victor Wembanyama is on the floor.

"You just gotta act like he's not there. I mean, he's gonna get blocks. He's the tallest person in the world." pic.twitter.com/0FYBQpZeyp
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) May 5, 2026

If Oklahoma City and San Antonio each win their second-round matchups, this is a strategy the Thunder could employ to counteract Wembanyama's talent. Settling for jumpshots and being deterred by Wembanyama's presence could be a detriment for the Thunder, who don't have many consistent knockdown shooters on the roster.

While OKC's shooting may not be as strong as other squads, the team has a number of players who can get downhill and pressure the rim, similar to Minnesota. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the NBA's best at driving to the basket, and Ajay Mitchell has also shown the ability to get to the basket.

If Oklahoma City gets Jalen Williams back for a potential Western Conference Finals matchup against San Antonio, Mark Daigneault's team would add another physical driver who is a skilled finisher around the rim.

Not being scared to attack the rim when Wembanyama is in the paint may be the winning formula for OKC against San Antonio, who went 4-1 against the Thunder during the regular season.

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